Xia Youyou rolled her eyes in an indecent manner. Her eye sockets were sunken, making the white of her eyes look particularly thick. If the old lady saw it, she would probably be scared.
The flour in the basket was quickly sold out, but many people asked about the goose eggs, but no one bought them! They all thought they were too expensive. Chicken eggs were 3 cents each, and goose eggs were 8 cents. When people asked about the prices, they shook their heads and walked away.
She didn't care. If she couldn't sell it, she would keep it for herself and eat it slowly. She was reluctant to sell it in the first place!
She put flour into the basket several times, and to avoid attracting attention, she carried the basket out of the black market, went around the back door, and went back to the front door. She filled the basket again and went back to the black market to sell more flour.
The man guarding the door looked at her strangely, not understanding how she could get the goods so quickly.
Xia Youyou didn't care what he thought and went straight inside, squatting in the same place waiting for people to come.
Suddenly a voice came from the door: "Run!"
Before she could react, the people in front of her who were about to inspect the goods immediately stood up and headed for the back door. Those who were whispering to each other also began to flee. Looking towards the door, she saw a group of people wearing red armbands rushing towards her. She wanted to pick up the backpack and run, but the newly filled basket was too heavy. Suddenly, an idea struck her. She reached in, put all the goods into the space, and lightly picked up the backpack and ran out with the crowd.
Finally running out of the back door, she took advantage of no one noticing her to put the backpack into the space and quickly ran to the place where she met Cao An and his mother last night. She knew there was a place to hide there.
Only after she'd hidden herself in the firewood pile did she breathe a sigh of relief. This era was vibrant and energetic, but also terrifying. Reform and opening up had only begun at the end of 1978, so there were still two years left. She had to persevere until then; the thought of it was exhausting.
Relaxing my tense body, I watched through the gaps as people occasionally scurried away to avoid the red armbands. I patted my chest, feeling lucky I ran fast!
The red armbands were still arresting people on the street, so she decided to stay here a little longer. She had woken up too early in the morning, and suddenly relaxed, feeling both hungry and sleepy. She took out the steaming food and began to eat. There was something so wonderful about being in a space where time stood still.
After eating and drinking, she felt sleepy. She stretched her arms and legs, looked at the firewood piles around her, adjusted herself to a comfortable position, closed her eyes and fell asleep.
She slept for a long time until a scream woke her up. She jumped up from the ground and her hair was scratched by a branch. She covered her hair with her hands and realized where she was.
He looked at the woman who had just screamed in front of him, then at the firewood scraps on his body. He realized that she must have been trying to get some firewood when she suddenly noticed him.
"I'm sorry, I fell asleep here. I'll leave right away." He stood up, brushed off the dust on his body, walked past the dumbfounded woman as if nothing had happened, and quickly disappeared at the entrance of the alley.
As Xia Youyou exited the alley, she saw the red-armbanded women standing by the main road, guarding the entrance. She dodged to the side, but they hadn't left yet. She didn't know what time it was, but thinking of the person she had just met, she hurried back to where she had been. Unfortunately, the woman was gone.
She walked slowly in the alley, not knowing if it was bad luck or if people heard the noise and hid, but she walked around the alley for a long time but didn't meet anyone.
Just as she was about to give up and return to the firewood pile, a wooden door creaked behind her. She turned around and saw the aunt from last night. Her eyes lit up. There is always a way out!
Liu Hui was also surprised to see her. Seeing that she was still dressed the same as last night, she recognized her. "Why are you here?" She looked towards the entrance of the alley. "Come in!" She had heard the noise this morning and had been hiding in her house. She had just finished her work and was about to go to a neighbor's house to get some more work when she opened the door and came out. She hadn't expected to run into this little girl.
Xia Youyou followed her into the courtyard and took a look around the clean and tidy little yard. It was a small quadrangle courtyard, with the main hall in the middle, and two side rooms on the left and right. The left side looked like a kitchen, and there was a separate room on the right. There was a small well in the yard, and half-dried clothes were hanging next to it.
Watching her close the door, he called out, "Auntie."
"Hey, did you go to the black market again today?" Liu Hui pulled her into the main room and sat her down at the table.
"Yeah, I went there this morning and suddenly ran into those red armbands. I've been hiding until now. I wanted to leave the city, but I saw people guarding the main intersection, so I came back."
Liu Hui held her thin hand and said, "Are you scared? This is what the red armband looks like. It will be fine in the evening. Have you eaten?" She went there in the morning and has been hiding until now. She doesn't know if she has eaten lunch.
She scratched her head, "I've eaten, but I don't know what time it is now."
"Oh, it's already afternoon, almost time for dinner." He looked out the window at the sun, "It should be four o'clock! Wait until Anzi comes back, he has a watch."
Xia Youyou remembered that she had already rejected Cao An this morning, and now she was at his house. She felt a rush of anxiety on her face. "Then I'll leave now. Does Auntie know of any other way out?"
"Don't leave. Come have dinner at my place later. There are other exits. The alleys in this alley are interconnected and it's really easy to get lost if you're not familiar with them. But even if there are other exits, those people are still guarding them. It's not that easy to leave."
Xia Youyou's head hurt after hearing this. What's going on? These days, no one is rich. If she were to eat here, she would definitely not eat for free. She reached into her bag and took out three goose eggs and a bag of noodles. "Auntie, I only have eggs and noodles. I'm going to bother you with a meal tonight."
Liu Hui looked at the goose eggs she had placed on the table. "Oh dear, how can these eggs be so big? No, I can't have your food. How much of my food can a little girl like you eat? Put it away quickly!" Then she tugged at her bag, picked up the eggs and put them into her bag one by one. Xia Youyou couldn't dodge in time, and she grabbed her bag.
Liu Hui put her things away before holding her hand. "I don't even know your name yet. I was a little worried when I saw you walking home alone at night last night."
"Aunt, my name is Xia Youyou. Thank you for your concern." She still took out the goose eggs from her bag, "Aunt, if you don't want noodles, how about I add a dish for you? This is goose eggs, my favorite!" Seeing that she was about to refuse, she added: "If you don't want it, I won't eat here anymore!"
"How can you be so honest, kid? Okay, then let's have a good meal with Youyou!" He took the two goose eggs from her hand and said, "Two will do. They can make a big bowl of fried food. Wow, these goose eggs are really big!"
Xia Youyou smiled as she watched her curiously holding the goose egg in her hand to study it, without telling her that it was just from a goose factory in the future and its nutritional value was about the same as chicken eggs, except that it was bigger.
"You sit here, I'll go to the kitchen to prepare dinner, and Anzi will be back soon!"
"Auntie, let me light the fire for you!"
Liu Hui nodded happily, "Let's go, I just like daughters, it's a pity that I can't have one!"
Xia Youyou followed her to the kitchen without saying anything. Her son was so big and strong. In this day and age, it was better to have a son than a daughter!
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